I clip a little bit every 2 weeks. A few nails have white in them, so it is easier to see where to clip. When I clip the darker ones, I look for the hollow looking inside. Then I know I am close and stop.

and on a side note if you are truly weary of cutting and you dont want to pay a vet for it every other week then just spend 30% of your walking time on the concrete (i do it with d-o-g and it works like a charm!!!)

Not to hijack the thread, but I have another question.
By what most people are saying, you should only be cutting any part of the nail that goes beyond the stuff in the middle of the nail.

Now the reason I called it stuff, is because I'm pretty sure it's not all quick. For example, I'll cut my dogs nails, and I go a tiny bit past the stuff or filling of the nail, and have never made them bleed.

So I guess my question is this: should I only be cutting so there is no nail growth past the filling, and if so, why do they still seem so long if I go by that measurement?

Also, a note on the clippers with the safety guard, as they were mentionned, they suck! It's harder to try and cut their nails with the stupid guard than it is without.

the more you cut the nails the lower the quick gets, but is has to be constant to get results.... the reason you are cutting into the quick and not getting a result of blood is because you havent passed the protective barrier around the vein but i bet the dog feels it tho he doesnt bleed....

aaronchpmn wrote:the more you cut the nails the lower the quick gets, but is has to be constant to get results.... the reason you are cutting into the quick and not getting a result of blood is because you havent passed the protective barrier around the vein but i bet the dog feels it tho he doesnt bleed....

They really don't feel it, they're big babies they would let me know.
I'm more curious than anything. They walk on concrete most of the time, so usually they just need the dew claws clipped.

If you have them standing, and lift their paws up, to where their pads are "up" then you should be able to see a very small difference in the pigmentation between the quick and that actual nail, you might do it in a well lit area to make it easier to spot, and you have to look very closely or you may not be able to tell. Do it like you are changing a horses shoe.

Okay.....here's 2 pics of Hobbs foot. They're not the greatest pics because I'm the only one trying to take a pic & hold Hobbs at the same time.

I'm standing over him and picking his up his foot and holding back like horses hoof. I just cut his nails last week so there's not much to look at, but you can see a little of the black nail before the quick. Just make sure you leave a little space between nail and quick.

Sorry pic is still not as close as I'd like, but I'm still trying to figure out this digital camera.